Massachusetts laws
St. 2016, c. 219, §§ 135 and 137 As amended by St. 2018, c. 154, § 66, legalizes daily fantasy sports (DFS)
MGL c. 10, §§ 37-40 Beano, raffles, compulsive gambling
MGL c. 23K Massachusetts Gaming Commission
Permits up to 3 casinos and 1 slots-only casino in the state. Has several provisions particular to Indian tribes.
MGL c. 23N Sports betting
MGL c. 137 Gaming
MGL c. 271 Gambling crimes
Massachusetts regulations
205 CMR Mass. Gaming Commission
- 205 CMR 202 et seq. Sports wagering regulations
940 CMR 12 Regulations governing raffles
940 CMR 13 Regulations governing bazaars
940 CMR 30 Illegal lotteries, sweepstakes and de facto gambling establishments
940 CMR 34 Daily fantasy sports contest operators in Massachusetts
961 CMR Mass. Lottery Commission
Federal laws
15 USC §§ 1171-1178 Johnson Act
Regulates transportation of gambling devices.
25 USC §§ 2701 et seq. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
Sets the terms for how tribes can operate casinos and bingo parlors; enables off-reservation land for casinos; defines the 3 classes of gaming.
31 USC §§ 5361-5367 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006
Prohibits companies from accepting money for internet gambling if the gambling is illegal under existing federal or state laws; addresses the transfer of funds to online casinos.
- See also the FDIC's Unlawful internet gambling enforcement act of 2006: overview
Federal regulations
25 CFR 290 Tribal revenue allocation plans
25 CFR 291 Class III gaming procedures
Used when a state and an Indian tribe are unable to voluntarily agree to a compact and "the State has asserted its immunity from suit brought by an Indian tribe under 25 U.S.C. 2710(d)(7)(B)."
25 CFR 292 Gaming on trust lands acquired after October 17, 1988
"Articulates standards that the BIA will follow in interpreting the various exceptions to the gaming prohibitions contained in section 2719 of IGRA."
25 CFR Chapter III National Indian Gaming Commission regulations
31 CFR 1021 Rules for casinos and card clubs
Selected cases
Buzulis v. Mohegan Sun Casino, 69 Mass.App.Ct. 708 (2007)
"The District Court and Appellate Division judges were correct in concluding that the Gaming Disputes Court has exclusive subject matter jurisdiction over the action between the plaintiffs and the casino."
Connecticut National Bank of Hartford v. Kommit, 31 Mass.App.Ct. 348 (1991)
In an action brought by a Connecticut bank against Massachusetts residents, seeking payment of $5,500 borrowed in New Jersey from an automatic teller machine with a credit card, the judge incorrectly applied the law of New Jersey in granting summary judgment to the bank, where the credit agreement expressly stated that the law of Connecticut governed the use of the credit card and account, and where New Jersey, under its choice-of-law rules, would have looked to the law chosen by the parties.
DeCosmo v. Blue Tarp Redevelopment, LLC, 487 Mass. 690 (2021)
Court concluded that the 2019 rules permitted a Massachusetts casino to pay odds of six to five to a player who was dealt a winning blackjack hand, while not otherwise adhering to the requirements for the "6 to 5 blackjack variation" that were articulated in those rules, including the layouts of the blackjack tables.
Gattineri vs. Wynn MA, LLC, 493 Mass. 13 (2023)
"An agreement, concealed from the commission empowered to review and approve casino licenses, and inconsistent with the terms presented to, and approved by, the commission to address its concerns about the possible involvement of organized crime, is unenforceable as a violation of public policy."
Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community, 572 U.S. 782 (2014)
Tribal sovereign immunity held to bar state's suit against tribe for allegedly violating Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C.S. § 2701 et seq.) by opening casino outside Indian lands.
Murphy v. NCAA, 584 U.S. 453 (2018)
Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) provision (28 U.S.C.S. § 3702(1)) prohibiting state activities including operation or licensing of sports-wagering scheme violated Federal Constitution's Tenth Amendment anticommandeering doctrine; other PASPA (28 U.S.C.S. § 3701 et seq.) provisions were not severable.
New Hampshire Lottery Commission v. Rosen, 986 F.3d 38 (2021)
"[T]he Wire Act applies only to interstate wire communications related to sporting events or contests."
Agencies
Department of Justice Office of Tribal Justice
OTJ is the primary point of contact for the Department of Justice's government to government relationship with Indian tribes.
Massachusetts Attorney General’s Gaming Enforcement Division
Enforces the Expanded Gaming Act of 2011. Investigates and prosecutes illegal activity including gaming-related financial crime, organized crime, corruption, and money laundering.
Massachusetts Gaming Commission
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is responsible for implementing the expanded gaming law passed in November 2011.
National Indian Gaming Commission
Has primary responsibility to oversee Indian gaming
Office of Problem Gambling Services, Mass. Department of Public Health.
Resources for those facing gambling addiction.
Web sources
Attorney General's FAQs about nonprofit gaming events
An informative FAQ for charities and nonprofits interested in conducting a gaming event.
Guidance on raffles, Mass. Attorney General.
Information on the rules and guidelines to follow if your organization is considering holding a raffle in Massachusetts.
MA problem gambling helpline, Office of Problem Gambling Services.
A toll-free number (800-327-5050) connecting callers with resources for gambling addiction.
Massachusetts tax information for gambling and the lottery, Mass. Department of Revenue.
Explains how to report gambling and lottery winnings.
Problem gambling, Mass. Gaming Commission.
Sports wagering approved events & wagers, Mass. Gaming Commission.
Table games rules, Mass. Gaming Commission.
Voluntary self-exclusion, Mass. Gaming Commission.
"The Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program (VSE) is a statewide program that allows you to voluntarily exclude yourself from casino gambling, sports wagering or both for a predetermined amount of time."
White paper on daily fantasy sports, Mass. Gaming Commission, January 11, 2016.
Print sources
Cohen's handbook of Federal Indian law by Felix S. Cohen, LexisNexis, 2024 ed.
Chapter 16: Indian gaming.
Criminal law, 3rd ed. (Mass. practice v. 32), West Pub. Co., 2001 with supplement.
Chapter 23: Gaming.
Gaming law in a nutshell by Walter T. Champion, Jr. and I. Nelson Rose, West, 2018.
The law of regulated gambling: A practical guide for business lawyers, American Bar Association, 2020.
Massachusetts proof of cases, West, annual.
Chapter 51: Gaming offenses.
Summary of basic law, Mass. practice v.14A, West, annual.
Chapter 7: Gaming offenses, §§ 7.274-7.278.
Contact
Online
| Last updated: | May 6, 2025 |
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